Hey everyone,
My partner and I managed to snag some extremely cheap tickets to Tokyo in January, however it seems like regardless of COVID-19 there's a good chance Japan doesn't let Muricans in by then...so if we can't go we are planning on going to the EU instead.
Now considering the US sucks by pretty much every metric compared to other first world countries, I'd love to see a few places (thinking 1-2 week total trip time) that while maybe not being explicitly leftist, have much better public transit (no car needed), healthcare, work/life balance, and other positives that if the opportunity presented itself would love to move there. Anyone have recommendations? I was thinking Amsterdam/The Netherlands, as well as Scandinavian countries. My partner is obssessed with London but considering the UK is trying it's hardest to beat America for worst first world country I'd prefer to pass on it.
Obviously if COVID is at a point where even vaccinated individuals are being irresponsible traveling, even while masked, we will hold off on any traveling until things are better.
Thanks!
Amsterdam, at least from an infrastructure and urban planning standpoint, has always felt like "the good future" to me. So much green, bike lanes, trains, walkable streets, cozy canals. Plus, Dutch isn't a real language and everybody just pretends to speak it while instead actually just speaking English, so it's stupid easy to do anything you want in Amsterdam. Really recommend it. I also really recommend Barcelona. Their superblocks are amazing, and it's crazy fun to have dinner at like 10pm and then go to a concert in a square or just chill, really great city. Some of the best trains in the world are in Switzerland, but I've never been so can't really comment there too much. Vienna is notable for me for having really walkable streets, a great public transit system, and lovely architecture and food in a very livable city. Definitely check out Amsterdam and the Low Countries in general though. Belgium is fun too, and Luxembourg is fascinating albeit a bit boring as a tourist to visit for more than a day or so. However, if you do visit you could also take the train to Trier and see Marx's birthplace! The house is hilariously overrun with almost exclusively Chinese tourists and it's a good time.
This is a great writeup!
To add on, if you go to Belgium, do not go to Brussels, it sucks. Antwerp and Ghent are top tier (although Antwerp has armed army members guarding the diamond district which is right next to the train station, so that's weird). Ghent is mostly a university town, but it's got cool canals and good trams. It's like if someone let Bruges get a little modernized. If you go to Wallonia I don't have a ton to offer. I went to Liege and was not super impressed (but it was still cooler than Brussels), but beyond that I didn't spend a ton of time there.
If you're #traingaing, Belgium has a tram line that runs along its entire coast (longest tram line in the world). It takes about 2.5 hours to ride the whole way, but if you really like cloudy dreary North Sea coastal towns and trains, it's kind of hard to beat.
Brussels' square at the centre is admittedly pretty stunning but yeah I mostly agree, kind of dreary town. Loved loved loved Ghent when I went there, such a pretty town. Never heard of that tram line but now I want to go back and take it, sounds divine.
Amsterdam, at least from an infrastructure and urban planning standpoint, has always felt like “the good future” to me. So much green, bike lanes, trains, walkable streets, cozy canals.
Amsterdam always feels like the world's largest village to me. It's incredibly chill for a city that large, and you always end up randomly walking into interestingly weird stuff like an entire neighborhood that's built entirely out of house boats. I def agree that Amsterdam is very walkable even by European standards, as long as you don't mind dodging incredibly fast cyclists until you get used to who uses which sidewalk lane. I'd say the best way to get around in the city is either by bike or by tram (tickets for the entire day aren't that expensive), although some locals are also really fond of scooters (the so-called bromfietsen, that translates to "hummingbikes"), which use the bike lanes as well. For sightseeing, renting a pedal boat and going on a tour through the grachten (canals) is also nice.
I can confirm that unless you are absolutely ADAMANT about not learning a new language, :ukkk: is not the place to go. I mean I guess as long as the NHS is still standing I'd rather be here than america, but thats about it. If you do go to the uk, I'd recommend a different, cheaper city like Nottingham or York or a smaller town somewhere up north. London has fucking insane living costs and its not that great of a place, it's fine for tourism but not so much for living.
Eh these days you'll do fine with just English in most countries
The only places I've ever felt positively inadequate with just English were rural France and rural China. Even like bumblefuck nowhere in the Balkans or Southeast Asia is filled with English speakers.
Lowkey Nottingham is such a great city. Really pretty and such a robust bus network. Loved my time there.
Absolutely, and it has a tram network too. Robust public transport gang :traingang:
Aw man I totally forgot about the tram! I loved that thing, despite almost never using it.
london isnt actually bad to visit, because of imperialism theres good not british food and enormous free museums :shrug-outta-hecks:
